462 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



^-^ ' ndred and twenty-seven. The numbers per minute were 



a3 foi ws : — 



flies 



1st 



ninute, 



5 flies 



21st minute, 



2 flies 



41st minute, 6 



2nc^ 





2 „ 



22nd 





4 „ 



42nd 



4 



3r,: 





7 „ 



23rd 





3 „ 



43rd 



3 



4th 





6 „ 



24th 





5 „ 



44th 



3 



5th 





2 „ 



25th 





2 „ 



45th 



5 



6th 





2 „ 



26th 





3 „ 



46th 



2 



7th 





4 „ 



27th 





4 „ 



47th 



4 



8th 





5 „ 



28th 





3 „ 



48th 



5 



9th 





1 „ 



29th 





5 „ 



49th 



6 



10th 





3 „ 



30th 





3 „ 



50th 



2 



11th 





2 „ 



3]st 





4 „ 



51st 



2 



12th 





2 „ 



32nd 





3 „ 



52nd 



5 



13th 





6 „ 



33rd 





2 „ 



53rd 



1 



14th 





6 „ 



34th 





3 „ 



54th 







15th 





7 „ 



35th 





4 „ 



55th 



2 



16th 





6 „ 



36th 





6 „ 



56th 



3 



17th 





7 „ 



37th 





4 „ 



57th 



6 



18th 





4 „ 



38th 





6 „ 



58th 



6 



19th 





5 „ 



39th 





2 „ 



59th 



8 



20th 





1 ,. 



40th 





2 „ 



60th 



1 



I counted them on several other occasions, and with much the 

 same results. The number of imagos in the nest at this time 

 was not more than sixty. The bulk of the food brought in 

 was always flies, but there was also a small percentage of 

 miscellaneous items, chiefly fruit. Several times I saw honey- 

 bees or parts of them being carried in. As the sun rose later 

 they ceased to start work so early. When I first had them they 

 would commence work at about 3.15 a.m., but gradually it got 

 later, till by August 1st they were seldom out before 4 o'clock, 

 and they stopped work about 8.30 p.m. But these were long 

 hours when one remembers that they are in a state of ceaseless 

 activity the entire day, apparently seldom stopping for even ten 

 minutes' rest. 



The problem which now presented itself to me was what 

 would happen when all the original eggs had reached the pupa 

 stage and there was no more work for the wasps to do, for the 

 queen being dead, there would be no more eggs laid for them. 

 Would they lay eggs themselves, or would the nest come to an 

 abrupt end ? I reckoned that the original eggs must all be 

 developed by Aug. 14th, and they would have reached the pupa 



